Horace holt



Eiga? 'penzymz PATENTED' 11N DEc1o1867.

@uitrit tetes @anni ffies.

TOOL FOR OPENING FRUIT-SANS.

titte signalement in in time ttrs tant mit 'uniting putt nt its same.

.T0 ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN;

Bc it known that I, HORACE HOLT, of New York, 264 Broadway, in the county and State of New Yorlt,- have invented a new and improved Tool for Opening Gans; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, refer` ence being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure 1 represents a. sectional side elevation of this invention, showing its operation.

Figure 2 is an inverted plan of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a. tool for opening sheet-metal cans, which consists of a pair of tongs provided with an arm,Y which forms the bearing for a hand-lever, in which a tooth or cutter is secured in such a manner that by clamping the can firmly between the jaws of the tongs, and carrying the hand-lever round while apply-V ing the proper downward pressure, a circular or segmental hole is out into the top ofthe can, which gives easy access .to the contents thereof. The tooth or cutter is-placed in an oblique position, which materially facilitates i the operation of cutting, and the lever is provided with a raised bearing, close t'o the tooth, and on its outside, so that the sheet metal, on being cut, is free to rise on the inside of the tooth, and said tooth is prevented from being wedged tight between the edges of the eut.

A represents a pair ot' tongs, the jaws of which are curved to't the circumference of the can to be opened, so that by means of said tongs the can may be firmly clamped or held. These tongs are provided with an arm, a, of such a form that when the tongs are applied to a can, the end of said arm will extend across the centre of the top of the can; and this arm forms the bearing for a screw or pivot, Z1, which acts as the fulcrum of a. hand-lever, B. This hand-lever is made of any suitable length, and it carries a tooth or cutter, c, which serves to produce the requisite Opening in the top, as will be presently explained. The tooth c is scchred in the handlever in an oblique direction, as clearly shown in g. 1 of the' drawing, and to the under surface ofthe handlever, close to the outside of the tooth, is secured a raised bearing, d.

In order to open a can, said can is iirmly clamped between the tongs A, alnd. by suitable pressure thetooth is made to penetrate the top of' the'ean, sothat the bearing d will rest on the upper surface of said top. The

.hand-lever is then carriedrronnd as far as the arm a will allow, and a segmental apex-ture is eut into the top of the can, which affords easy access to the contents of said can. By the oblique position 'of the tooth, and bythe raised bearing, the vopera-tion of cutting is materially facilitated, since the tooth itself` causes the inner edge of the cut to curl up, room being afforded by the raised bearing for said edge to rise, and the tooth is prevented from being wedged `tight in the cnt. I

VIt is obvious that other means might be employed for clamping the tooth-carrying lever down' upon thecan, besides the tongs shown in the drawing, but I consider the tongs superior to any other device, since-,they are simple, cheap, and easily handled. t

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isr- 1. A tool for opening shoet-metal cans, composed of a hand-lever, B, carrying atooth, c, and connectedto,

tongs A, or other equivalent means, capable of clamping said tooth-carrying lever to the can, as set forth.

. 2. Placing'the tooth c ina-n oblique direetiomzwhen the same is used in combination with the hand-lever B and clamping-device A, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The raised bearing d, in combination with the lever B and-clamping-device A, substantially as and for the purpose sot forth.

HORACE HOLT.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, GUs'rAv BERG. 

